Church members watch impeachment trial livestream, engage with Bantay Senado

More than 50 members of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Quezon City gathered on Wednesday afternoon to watch the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte through a livestream organized by non-partisan citizen monitoring network Bantay Senado.

Dubbed as Impeachment TamBayanan, the community viewing initiative aims to encourage various sectors, groups, and local communities to watch the proceedings and discuss the implications of the impeachment for the public. 

"And now, we are here at the church."

"We think that it should not only be the senators and the lawyers who should participate in the trial of Vice President Sara, but most importantly, ordinary citizens should have the opportunity to participate as well," Bantay Senado convenor Cleve Arguelles told DAILY TRIBUNE in an exclusive interview.

The community livestream gathered parish members, including mothers, fathers, and youth representatives, who participated in discussions following the viewing of portions of the impeachment trial. 

"The church members are also beginning to share their views on whether they support the prosecution's request for the disclosure of the Vice President's bank records," Arguelles said. 

The Bantay Senado convenor, meanwhile, revealed the network received positive response with recent community viewings, prompting the group to call for broader understanding of the impeachment proceedings through implementing similar public viewing activities nationwide. 

Arguelles stressed that fostering meaningful civic engagement in the impeachment trial should not rest solely on academic institutions but should likewise involve members of the legal community and other professionals who can leverage expertise to enhance public understanding of the constitutional process. 

"One of our enemies today is fake news," the political scientist said, noting that community public viewings are important in combating disinformation and other forms of information disorder.